The present invention is related to an improved process for removal of particulate matter having airborne potential. More particularly, the present invention is related to the application of non-reactive foam to particulate matter for removal wherein the adhesive readily adheres to the particulate matter and prohibits dislodged particles from becoming airborne.
The removal of materials from areas such as houses, buildings, and construction sites is often dangerous. If the material contains particulate matter, or particulate matter is near the material being removed, the particulate matter may become airborne. If the particulate matter is airborne, it may be inhaled by the material remover or anyone located near the removal site and become lodged in that person's nose, eyes, throat or lungs. Particulate matter is often defined as a small discrete mass of solid or liquid matter which may become airborne. Examples of particulate matter include mold spores and asbestos particles.
The presence of mold can create extremely hazardous conditions. Mold is typically a fungus that produces a superficial growth on various kinds of damp or decaying organic matter. Common molds include Aspergillus, Stachybotrys, Cladosporium, Fusarium, Penicillium, and Mycotoxins. These species of molds maintain varying health effects on humans, and any excessive mold growth can lead to increased allergies, toxicity, and house/building structural problems.
When mold is present, it is comprised of tiny spores of particulate matter which reproduce. These tiny spores waft through the air upon the smallest amount of movement, and when the mold spores land on damp spots, these mold spores begin growing and digesting whatever they are growing on in order to survive. Mold growth often occurs and becomes particularly troublesome when excessive moisture or water accumulates and remains undiscovered or un-addressed for long periods of time.
There are several health effects and symptoms associated with mold exposure. Some health effects and symptoms include allergic reaction, asthma, eye irritation, nasal stuffiness, wheezing, and skin irritation. More severe reactions are often indicated with people who have serious allergies to mold, people with chronic lung illnesses, and workers who are exposed to large amounts of mold in occupational settings. These severe reactions may include fever, shortness of breath, cancer, and mold infections in the lungs.
Because of these health effects, mold removal is necessary whenever mold is present. Removal of mold, however, has become a major concern. When mold is removed using currently available methods, the persons removing the mold are exposed to severe health risks. During cleaning and removal, mold spores will likely be stirred and become airborne. Further, the more the structure is disrupted or broken apart, the higher the propensity for dusting, a primary means of transportation for mold spores. Persons near these airborne spores are more susceptible and at an increased risk of inhaling these dislodged particles; therefore, before clean up and mold removal is begun, it is critical that measures be taken to minimize dust and prevent the mold spores from spreading to other areas of the house or building. To minimize the particulate matter and prevent spreading of the mold spores, the area being cleaned must be properly contained prior to removal.
Current methods to remediate such mold problems may be expensive and structurally intrusive. In some cases, it may be necessary to remove and replace materials that have been sufficiently invaded with the mold. There have been many reports of techniques for the removal of mold. Common techniques include utilizing a form of sanding, scraping, or dry ice blasting the mold away. These techniques are extremely difficult and costly to implement but have been a method of choice for many applications. Further, these techniques often cause the mold to become airborne and therefore, are hazardous to the persons in the area and do not guarantee complete mold removal unless the area is fully contained prior to removal. Other techniques have been discussed wherein chemicals are applied to the mold for removal or containment. These techniques, however, are also lacking. Bleaches are often used to contain or kill mold, such as those found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,783,550; however, bleach does not remove the mold and a discoloration usually appears on the mildewed surface treated with the bleach. Acids are also frequently used with bleaches to kill and remove the mold. While acids may be used, such as those discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,097,395 which enable the remover to dissolve and remove the mold to produce a visibly clean surface, an irritating odor is often created. Further, the difficulty of utilizing strong acid solutions and bleaches in a closed environment would be readily realized to one of skill in the art. It would especially be apparent that the strong acid necessary to kill and remove mold from a large area would create an additional hazard to persons in the area and require a substantial volume of hazardous solvent. Mold inhibitors with anti-fungal or anti-microbial agents integrated within a matrix, such as those found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,939,937, are also used upon targeted area which require either remediation or prevention of growth of fungus or microbes.
Similar to the removal of mold particulate matter, the removal and presence of asbestos particulate matter in an area can also create extremely hazardous conditions. For many years asbestos was a material of choice within the building industry as a sound and thermal insulator. The properties of asbestos are well documented and further elaboration is not necessary herein. One problem with asbestos is the propensity for dislodged particulate matter to become airborne wherein it becomes susceptible to being inhaled by occupants of the building. After many years it was determined that the inhaled particles can be detrimental to ones health and, in fact, the disease created by inhalation of asbestos is now commonly referred to as asbestosis. Unfortunately, by the time the hazards of asbestos were discovered, it was the predominant material in such diverse applications as pipe wrap, flooring material, wall material, and bulk insulation just to name a few.
Safety procedures to protect people working in areas containing asbestos are known in the art. For example, procedures exist for drilling small holes into plaster wall containing asbestos. One such method includes the use of a drill with a vacuum attachment and a baffle attachment. Shaving cream is sprayed over the drilling area and the baffle is fitted over the shaving cream to control the release of asbestos fibers into the air during drilling. While this method is sufficient for drilling small holes, it is insufficient for drilling in or removal of asbestos areas larger than the size of a baffle. Further, workers are required to wear respirators and protective clothing at all times during the drilling. Because the mere presence of asbestos particulate matter is a hazard and working in asbestos containing areas is difficult, easier and safer solutions for dealing with asbestos have been contemplated.
Those of skill in the art are left with two solutions for dealing with asbestos neither of which is totally satisfactory. One solution is to contain the particles and the other is to remove the asbestos or asbestos containing material. There are many teachings related to permanent sealants for asbestos containing materials. These clearly are advantageous when the asbestos is to be left in place. Removing the asbestos has proven to be a substantial problem since virtually any removal process involves abrading the asbestos thereby increasing the rate at which particles are dislodged. The more the structure is disrupted, or broken apart, the higher the propensity for dusting. Even sealed asbestos is eventually removed; therefore, the removal process occurs for virtually all asbestos containing products.
There have been many reports of techniques for the safe removal of asbestos. These can be broadly characterized as mechanical techniques and chemical techniques. Mechanical techniques utilize some form of area containment in combination with a pressure differential or flowing medium to either contain the particles or entrain them in the stream of flowing medium. These techniques are extremely difficult and costly to implement but have been the method of choice for most applications.
Chemical techniques have been discussed wherein the asbestos is either chemically modified or coated prior to removal. These techniques are also lacking. Acids, and particularly fluorides, are known to convert asbestos to a non-asbestos material. Chemical modification of the asbestos has been exploited in various forms as illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,589,156; 5,743,841; 5,516,973 and 5,439,322. The difficulty of utilizing strong acid solutions in a closed environment would be readily realized to one of skill in the art. It would especially be apparent that a stoichiometric volume of a strong acid necessary to remove asbestos from a large area would create an additional hazard and require a substantial volume of solvent.
Various efforts have been reported for coating the asbestos prior to removal. U.S. Pat. No. 4,857,085 teaches vaporization of cyanoacrylate to form a hard film on the asbestos prior to dismantling the asbestos. This technique is adequate for encapsulating the visible surface of the asbestos, but it is not sufficient to cover areas which break during removal. Therefore, a hard film is inadequate to solve the problems associated with airborne particles.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,693,755 describes formation of a cellulosic polymer which is applied to the asbestos. The cellulosic polymer is allowed to penetrate, and the asbestos is removed while still wet. This technique has an advantage in that the polymer is somewhat mobile but it is still inferior for covering newly exposed areas of the asbestos. Furthermore, the problems associated with large volumes of solvent remain.
In summary, the art has been seeking a method for safe complete removal of particulate matter which does not require large volumes of solvent, adequately protects surfaces as they become exposed, prevents persons from inhaling the airborne particles, and which is economical.